Newly Diagnosed

[kpez]

Hi Everyone,

My son Andrew is 9 years old and was just diagnosed with motor tics. They can range from mild to very severe at times. They really seem to get going when he is playing sports. Our neurologist prescribed Haloperidol to help with the tics but after reading the side effects online I am afraid to give him the medication. I don't want to see him suffer, he complains at the end of the day that his neck hurts from the constant jerking all day. Can anyone offer any advice.

Kathy

[Chemar]

Hi Everyone,

My son Andrew is 9 years old and was just diagnosed with motor tics. They can range from mild to very severe at times. They really seem to get going when he is playing sports. Our neurologist prescribed Haloperidol to help with the tics but after reading the side effects online I am afraid to give him the medication. I don't want to see him suffer, he complains at the end of the day that his neck hurts from the constant jerking all day. Can anyone offer any advice.

Kathy

 

Hi Kathy

I am going to move your post over to our Tourette/tics forum as it will get more relevant replies there rather than here in ADHD

 

my son was on Haldol when first diagnosed and it had very severe side effects for him

 

on the TS forum we discuss many other treatments that may help without the risky side effects

 

we also discuss the many other causes and triggers for tics

 

I have a link in my signature that lists the treatments that helped my son

[kpez]

Hi Everyone,

My son Andrew is 9 years old and was just diagnosed with motor tics. They can range from mild to very severe at times. They really seem to get going when he is playing sports. Our neurologist prescribed Haloperidol to help with the tics but after reading the side effects online I am afraid to give him the medication. I don't want to see him suffer, he complains at the end of the day that his neck hurts from the constant jerking all day. Can anyone offer any advice.

Kathy

Thank you I appreciate your help

[kpez]

Hi Chemar,

I've read all your posts and I can see you've been dealing with these issues for a long time with your own son. One of the things that I am having a lot of difficulty with right now is the advice of my son's doctors to basically ignore the situation. They say the more attention I bring to his tics the more they will happen. We are a very close family and discuss all our family issues openly. I can see the tics are bothering him when i look at his face. He has told me he's been teased at school. The kids tell him he looks "retarded" or like a "bobbly head doll". I can't just ignore that my son is hurting yet the professionals just want me to act like it isn't happening. I don't want to make his tics worse by talking to him about them but I think he needs me to talk to him about them. I will do all the research I can to help him medically but can you offer any advice on how to deal with things emotionally?

 

Kathy

[Chemar]

Hi Kathy

 

I have always found it best to just let my son know that if he wants to talk...I am here. But never to force the convo on him because yes, drawing attention to the tics can trigger them more

 

however being available for him at all times if he wants to talk about it is essential

 

my son was dx while still in elementary and he decided he wanted to open the discussion on TS with his peers so I helped arrange for him to be able to tell his grade mates about TS, with me then also doing a short talk

 

although it didnt stop all the teasing, it really helped with most of it and most of the kids were very accepting.

 

by middle/highschool he already advocated for himself and still doesnt hesitate to gently but firmly address any negativity toward his tics by explaining what they are

 

so it is a fine line between trying to "ignore" when beneficial to them ie not to keep asking abouit the tics etc yet having them feel the security of being able to open the discussion on it anytime they need to

 

I feel for you ((((Kathy))))

I know the tears I (and he) shed when others (including some adults!) were unkind about his tics....but I see now how he has built character and compassion from it all...he truly did let it make him better not bitter

I pray the same for your child.

[kpez]

Hi Kathy

 

I have always found it best to just let my son know that if he wants to talk...I am here. But never to force the convo on him because yes, drawing attention to the tics can trigger them more

 

however being available for him at all times if he wants to talk about it is essential

 

my son was dx while still in elementary and he decided he wanted to open the discussion on TS with his peers so I helped arrange for him to be able to tell his grade mates about TS, with me then also doing a short talk

 

although it didnt stop all the teasing, it really helped with most of it and most of the kids were very accepting.

 

by middle/highschool he already advocated for himself and still doesnt hesitate to gently but firmly address any negativity toward his tics by explaining what they are

 

so it is a fine line between trying to "ignore" when beneficial to them ie not to keep asking abouit the tics etc yet having them feel the security of being able to open the discussion on it anytime they need to

 

I feel for you ((((Kathy))))

I know the tears I (and he) shed when others (including some adults!) were unkind about his tics....but I see now how he has built character and compassion from it all...he truly did let it make him better not bitter

I pray the same for your child.

Thank you Chemar it is very helpful to hear from someone who has experienced these things first hand. Your words have been very helpful.

[mom2a]

Hi Kathy!!

 

Really look into Food triggers and chemical sensitivities!! They played a huge part in my son's Tics and OCD. The top offenders would be: Dairy, Corn, Eggs, Wheat, salicylates, peanuts and of course sugar. I would start with this list...take items out one at a time and wait for a couple of days and see if you see improvement! Don't do it all at once or you won't know the culprits!

 

My son has been symptom free for 3 years now...the only time I see flare ups is during allergy season, too much swimming in chlorine pools (we now have a salt water chlorinator, and no tics so far) or if he eats too much of one of his sensitivity foods. Otherwise he is fantastic!!!

 

On another note....this may help some people out there with seasonal allergies. We feed our son local honey to help build up his allergy defenses. It is actually working....every year since we have been doing this his allergies get better and better! (been 3 years).

 

Good Luck Kathy!!!

[kpez]

Hi Kathy!!

 

Really look into Food triggers and chemical sensitivities!! They played a huge part in my son's Tics and OCD. The top offenders would be: Dairy, Corn, Eggs, Wheat, salicylates, peanuts and of course sugar. I would start with this list...take items out one at a time and wait for a couple of days and see if you see improvement! Don't do it all at once or you won't know the culprits!

 

My son has been symptom free for 3 years now...the only time I see flare ups is during allergy season, too much swimming in chlorine pools (we now have a salt water chlorinator, and no tics so far) or if he eats too much of one of his sensitivity foods. Otherwise he is fantastic!!!

 

On another note....this may help some people out there with seasonal allergies. We feed our son local honey to help build up his allergy defenses. It is actually working....every year since we have been doing this his allergies get better and better! (been 3 years).

 

Good Luck Kathy!!!

 

Thanks Mom2a,

I've started writing down everything Andy eats daily. I haven't been able to pinpoint anything in his diet yet but I have noticed a significant decrease in his tics since baseball ended last week. I always noticed his tics were worse on days that he had practice or played in a game but it seems that since the season ended his tics are a lot less frequent. He still has them but they are no where near as constant as they were a week ago. I'm not sure if it's a coincidence or not but I'm going to keep watching. I have also started him on vitamin supplements. Thanks for your response I will definitely be watching for the trigger foods you listed.

Thanks,

Kathy